Detroit’s Community Benefits Ordinance: Lessons Learned About the Community Engagement Process and Its Outcomes | World Resources Institute

In 2016, Detroit adopted the first community benefits ordinance in a major U.S. city, requiring developers of projects over $75 million with city subsidies to negotiate benefits with local communities. This World Resources Institute report, drawing on stakeholder interviews and a literature review, finds the ordinance has given residents a seat at the table but has not offset decades of disinvestment and inequality. It recommends better-resourced communities, stronger coalitions and enforcement mechanisms for future agreements.